Rack ovens are generally equipped with a fuel-fed heating element and a fan for moving heated air throughout a baking chamber to provide a rapid distribution of hot air over the food product. Commercial ovens of this type include a baking chamber, which is sized to receive a rack having multiple shelves containing products to be baked; a power driven, rotating mechanism to rotate the product as it is being cooked or baked; a heat exchanger including one or more gas burners and an exhaust system to eliminate combustion gases; and a circulating system for directing hot air along a heated air flow path that passes through the baking chamber. Conventional rack ovens of the type for baking bread also generally include a steam generator for the introduction of steam into the oven for brief periods of time, usually at the beginning of the baking process, to impart a desired color and crispness to the crust of the bread.
Typical rack ovens also commonly include baking chamber floor constructions that include a non-insulated single floor panel that is mounted to the floor on which the oven sits and/or is rigidly, non-adjustably connected to the side walls of the oven. During operation, these mounted floors may experience buckling due to thermal expansion. This floor construction can also be used on non-gas burning versions of ovens, such as electric versions.